Coin turning chute



March 22, 1966 J. ca. BARAN 3,241,751

COIN TURNING CHUTE Filed Feb. 12, 1964 a Sheets-Sheet 1 I -44 17 i; i I,i H INVENTOR 11 J0 J0 Jggepiz 615078.72

WWW will/s March 22, 1966 BARAN 3,241,751

COIN TURNING CHUTE Filed Feb. 12, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

(fo ng 6'. 5021212 3,241,751 COIN TURNING CHUTE Joseph G. Baran,Northbrook, 11]., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Burgess-Day, Inc.,Libertyville, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 12, 1964, Ser.No. 344,472 7 Claims. (Cl. 23244) The present invention relates to coinhandling apparatus for receiving coins oriented in one plane, turningthem into another plane and delivering them to conventional telephonepay-station equipment, and the following disclosure thereof is offeredfor public dissemination upon the grant of a patent therefor.

A number of factors have indicated the desirability of having availablea piece of apparatus, usable with existing paystation telephoneequipment, but adapted to receive coins oriented normal to the panel ofa telephone booth. Telephone booths are rapidly undergoing atransformation from the conventional small cubicle with a folding dooron one side and a black-box paystation telephone on the other. It isalmost amazing how little the designers dreams of telephone booths fortoday and tomorrow resemble the conventional cubicles. As a part of themodernizing of the design, it is readily apparent that the blackboxpaystations are no longer acceptable as a visible part of the telephonebooth. Yet these black-boxes are not worn out. To the extent that theycan continue to be used while hidden behind a decorative panel aneconomic saving is achieved.

One viewpoint has it that it is easier to insert a coin in a slot if thecoin is held between the thumb and the forefinger and inserted into aslot having a vertical height comparable to the diameter of the coin anda width comparable to the thickness of the coin. In the conventional paytelephone, of course, the coins were fitted into cylindrical openingshaving a diameter corresponding to that of the coin. After the coin wasproperly oriented and fitted into the opening, it was pushed rearwardlyin the cylindrical opening until it dropped into a slot extendingdownwardly from the back of the opening. The present invention enablesthe conventional black-box coin equipment to be positioned behind adecorative panel (with its front face adjacent the back of the panel sothat the coin return receptable remains available from the front of thepanel through an opening therein) and for the coins to be fed throughappropriately sized slots in the panel for delivery to the appropriatechutes in the coin mechanism. This requires that the coins :be turnedapproximately 90 from the position that they assume when passing throughthe slots in the panel to the position at which they will be accepted bythe respective chutes in the pay telephone apparatus.

At first blush it might appear that the design of a chute for handling,conveying and even turning coins might be a relatively simple task. Sucha conception would be based upon an ignorance of the conditions ofoperation encountered by coin chutes of the type in question. Peoplehave an amazing faculty for inventing various ways by which either tojam up an unattended mechanism or to attempt to cause it to malfunctionto their benefit. An innumerable variety of foreign objects will befound in such mechanisms. People will put coins in the mechanisms withsticky material adhering thereto with the expectation of jamming up acoin chute to their benefit if they can return and unplug the jam beforethe telephone company does, and after other people have deposited coinsin the chute behind the jam.

In the present invention the structure is such that win slots areprovided in the panel which are only slightly larger than the size ofthe respective coins. The chute extending from the back of the panel tothe coin passages nited States Patent ice in the pay telephone apparatuswill handle and deliver to those passages any object that will passthrough the slots in the panel of the booth. Thus, a blockade or jam cannot be built-up in the chute of the present invention to accumulate anumber of coins to the disadvantage of the prospective users andtelephone company. To the extent that a particular expedient wouldcreate a problem with the coin passages in existing equipment, thesituation is not rendered any more serious by the incorporation of thepresent invention.

Another problem is the necessity for bringing the coins to a properpoint on existing apparatus originally intended to receive coins by anentirely different procedure. Were the telephone pay equipment to beredesigned also (in addition to the booth), it would be possible todevise apparatus more readily adapted to receiving coins from chutes.However, as already indicated, there is a great advantage to thetelephone company in being able to reuse existing equipment, concealedto an extent such that it is not apparent that it is not a completelynew installation.

A further advantage of the present invention resides in the economicalmanufacturing costs involved. For example, the major components of allthree coin chutes are substantial duplicates despite the fact that eachchute is for a coin of a different size. The parts are inexpensivelyformed and can be assembled at a minimum of cost. The expense of fittingthe invention to existing telephone equipment is minimal.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through the panel of a telephone boothand illustrating therebehind the top of a pay telephone with anembodiment of the invention thereon;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view as seen at line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective View of a single coin chute component of theembodiment of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIGURE 1together with the significant components of the pay telephone apparatusused in combination therewith; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view as seen at line 55 of FIGURE 1.

Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination isdetailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intendedto prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each newinventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it byvariations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims atthe end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose; as itis these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts,improvements or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 1, the coin turning apparatus generally10 of the present invention is intended to be mounted on the top of thebody of a conventional pay telephone apparatus generally 11 positionedbehind a panel 12 of a telephone booth. A conventional pay telephoneapparatus 11 is adapted to receive quarters, dimes and nickels inrespective openings. Therefore, panel 12 is provided with three openingsappropriately sized to receive those three coins; i.e. opening 13 forquarters, opening 14 for dimes, and opening 15 for nickels.

The pay telephone apparatus 11 has on the top thereof a coin gauge plate17 and a slug ejector casting and assembly 18, which is illustrated herein only such detail as is necessary to show its cooperation in thecombination of the invention. Referring particularly to FIGURE 4, slugejector casting 18 has four upwardly extending fingers 19-22 whichdefine three coin receiving openings 23-25. Coin opening 23 is forquarters and a coin passage 26 extends downwardly therefrom. Coinopening 24 is for dimes and a dime passage 27 extends downwardlytherefrom. Similarly, a nickel coin passage 28 extends down from thenickel opening 25. Coin passages 26-28 are not in the same plane, a factthat is troublesome in devising a coin delivery apparatus such as thepresent invention. In the conventional black-box pay telephone mechanismanother cover, not shown in the present drawings, extends over the topof the slug ejector casting 18 and has appropriately sized coin openingsin the front face thereof. A quarter gauging finger 29 on coin gaugeplate 17 extends into quarter passage 26. A dime finger 30 extends intodime passage 27 and a nickel finger 31 extends into nickel passage 28.

The illustrated embodiment of the present invention incorporates threecoin chutes 35, 36 and 37, defining ways for quarters, dimes and nickelsrespectively. Essentially, the three chutes 35, 36 and 37 are identicalalthough two of them, 36 and 37, are lefts and one, 35, is a right.Referring, for example, to dime chute 36, it comprises a main U-shapedchannel portion with two mounting ears 36a thereon. The base 36bsupports the coins. Approximately coincident with the point 36c at whichthe base 36b ends, one side wall of the channel is bent to form a coinretaining flange 36d. The opposite wall of the U is bent angulary todefine a coin turning cam 36c. Similarly, chute 35 has mounting ears35a, a base 35b ending at 350, a coin retaining flange 35d and a cointurning cam 35c. Chute 37 has ears 37a, a base 37b ending at 370, a coinretaining flange 37d and a coin turning cam 372.

A single sheet of metal is bent to form a top 39, a back coin guide 40and a mounting flange 41. Another piece of metal is bent into somewhatchannel shape to define an upper support flange 42, a front member 43and a mounting flange 44. The remaining components consist of two ends45 and 46, and a channel shaped member 47 having sides 48 and 49 whichform coin stops as hereinafter described. Preferably, the parts aresecured to each other by means of spot welding. This construction, ofdie cut and bent stampings together with spot welding, is an economicaland inexpensive method of forming this assembly of a unitary frame withseparate ways for the respective coins. The coin turning apparatus 10,coin gauge 17 and the slug ejector casting 18 are fastened together byrivets 50.

To ensure that the quarters enter passage 26, a finger 51 is cut andbent from front member 43. Finger 51 extends downwardly and rearwardlyin opening 23 in the slug ejector casting. It acts as a cam to pushcoins rearwardly so that they will enter passage 26. Similarly, a dimefinger 52 and a nickel finger 53 are bent rearwardly from front member43 and are received in openings 24 and 25 respectively in the slugejector casting. As best seen in FIGURE 5, the main portion of the backcoin guide 40 defines a plane 40a properly positioned for the entry ofquarters into the quarter slot 26. At the dime slot a portion 40b of theback coin guide is displaced rearwardly so that the dimes will beproperly aligned with the rearwardly set passage 27 of the casting 18.Similarly, a guide 400 is defined by a rearwardly displaced portion ofthe back coin guide 40. Portions 40b and 40c are approximately in thesame rearwardly displaced plane.

A quarter introduced through slot 13 in panel 12 rolls and slides downchute 35. The side walls of the chute are sufliciently far apart so thatany coin that will pass through slot 13, even if coated with a gummysubstance, will proceed down the chute. At the end of the chute theleading edge of the quarter contacts cam 35c and is deflected and turnedso that the edge of the coin strikes stop 48. After striking stop 48,the coin usually will lay against the back coin guide 40 and slide downit to enter chute 26. In any event, the coin will be confined betweenthe front and back walls 43 and 40 and stop 43 and cam 35c. As the coinmoves downwardly, the edgewise confinement will be defined by fingers 19and 20 about coin opening 23. If the coin at that time is not againstthe back coin guide 40, it will be urged in that direction by finger 51so that it enters passage 26.

Similarly, dimes entering slot 14 move down chute 36 to be turned by cam36a to move against stop 48. After this, the dime proceeds down to enterpassage 27. The nickels, after moving down chute 37, are turned by cam376. After striking stop 49, they drop down to enter passage 28.

It is important in the operation of the invention that the bases 35b,36b and 37b be inclined downwardly at an angle of at least fifteendegrees. Furthermore, the width of each coin chute 35, 36 and 37 (asdefined by the space between the side walls thereof) should be no lessthan twice the thickness of the respective coin. The length of thechutes to ends 350, 36c and 370 should be at least one inch. With thesedimensions a coin will move down the upper chute, be turned and dropinto the lower chutes 26, 27 or 28 no matter how it is released by theindividual when it is pushed through the respective slot 13, 14 or 15.Furthermore, even the coating of a coin with a gummy substance will notcause it to hang up prior to entering the respective passage 26, 27 or28 of the pay telephone apparatus.

I claim:

1. In a coin handling apparatus for use in an installation whereinvertically positioned coins are received with a horizontal diameterthereof positioned in one plane and are turned and discharged in aposition such that the horizontal diameter is in a second plane atapproximate right angles to said one plane with said apparatus having achute device for coins of a given denomination between the point ofreceipt and the point of discharge, the improvement comprising: saidchute device having an upper portion defining a downwardly inclinedaxial path for the coins, said axial path having an entrance lying insaid one plane, said device including cam means having a cam faceextending at an angle across said downwardly inclined axial path in adirection toward one side of said path, said cam means being effectiveto contact the leading edge of a coin moving along said path to turn thecoin abruptly from said path and toward said side of the path wherebythe horizontal diameter of the coin after it is turned is approximatelyparallel to the horizontal diameter of a coin in said second plane.

2. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said device includesa stop positioned beyond said side of the axial path and aligned in aplane approximately parallel to said axial path.

3. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said upper portionof each way has a width at least twice the thickness of the respectivecoin and wherein the downward inclination of said portion is at leastfifteen degrees.

4. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said upper portiondefines a way having a width transversely thereof of at least twice thethickness of the given coin and substantially less than the diameterthereof, said upper portion being at least one inch long.

5. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said frame and meansare formed of sheet metal parts spot welded together.

6. In a coin handling apparatus adapted to utilize a conventional paytelephone mechanism behind a panel of a phone botth with vertical coinslots adapted to receive coins of a given denomination respectively andwith the mechanism having its front face generally parallel to saidpanel whereby the coin receiving openings in the mechanism areapproximately parallel to said panel, with said apparatus defining a wayfrom each slot to a respective one of said openings in the mechanism,the improvement wherein each way includes: a substantially linear upperchute portion with two side walls and a base therebetween, said baseslanting downwardly from a point rearwardly of the slot and with atermination some distance rearwardly from said point, coin turning cammeans extending from one of said side walls rearwardly and in adirection across the line of the upper chute, a back panel having anupper portion rearwardly of said cam means, said back panel lying in aplane sloping downwardly and forwardly from said back panel portion andpositioned such that a horizontal line in said plane is approximatelyparallel to said booth panel, a stop extending forwardly from said backpanel and positioned in said direction from the line of the upper chutea distance only slightly greater than the diameter of the respectivecoin, and a lower chute portion of which said stop defines one side andof which said back panel defines the back.

7. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said one side wallof the upper chute portion extends rearwardly farther than said base andsaid termination is forwardly of said cam means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS LOUIS I. DEMBO,Primary Examiner.

S. H. TOLLBERG, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A COIN HANDLING APPARATUS FOR USE IN AND INSTALLATION WHEREINVERTICALLY POSITIONED COINS ARE RECEIVED WITH A HORIZONTAL DIAMETERTHEREOF POSITIONED IN ONE PLANE AND ARE TURNED AND DISCHARGED IN APOSITION SUCH THAT THE HORIZONTAL DIAMETER IS IN A SECOND PLANE ATAPPROXIMATE RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID ONE PLANE WITH SAID APPARATUS HAVING ACHUTE DEVICE FOR COINS OF A GIVEN DENOMINATION BETWEEN THE POINT OFRECEIPT AND THE POINT OF DISCHARGE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: SAIDCHUTE DEVICE HAVING AN UPPER PORTION DEFINING A DOWNWARDLY INCLINEDAXIAL PATH FOR THE COINS, SAID AXIAL PATH HAVING AN ENTRANCE LYING INSAID ONE PLANE, SAID DEVICE INCLUDING CAM MEANS HAVING A CAM FACEEXTENDING AT AN ANGLE ACROSS SAID DOWNWARDLY INCLINED AXIAL PATH IN ADIRECTION TOWARD ONE SIDE OF SAID PATH, SAID CAM MEANS BEING EFFECTIVETO CONTACT THE LEADING EDGE OF A COIN MOVING ALONG SAID PATH TO TURN THECOIN ABRUPTLY FROM SAID PATH AND TOWARD SAID SIDE OF THE PATH WHEREBYTHE HORIZONTAL DIAMETER OF THE COIN AFTER IT IS TURNED IS APPROXIMATELYPARALLEL TO THE HORIZONTAL DIAMETER OF A COIN IN SAID SECOND PLANE.